Vance Co. Animal Services Recipient of $7K+ Spay/Neuter Grant

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-Press Release, County of Vance

Vance County Animal Services is pleased to announce that they are a recipient of a $7,500 Spay/Neuter Grant from Community Partnership for Pets. This grant was received from the Margaret T. Pietrie Spay/Neuter Foundation out of Chapel Hill, NC.

This grant was applied for on September 16, 2018, and will be used for:

Pet spay/neuter services for citizens in the community that do not qualify for the state-funded spay/neuter program.

These funds will help citizens in our community get their personal pets spayed/neutered to reduce the number of unwanted animals being born in the community. This will also reduce the number of animal intakes at the Vance County Animal Shelter.

Red Cross: Blood, Platelet Donations Needed in Wake of Florence

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-Press Release, American Red Cross

As the American Red Cross responds to Hurricane Florence, providing food, shelter and comfort to those affected, blood and platelet donors are urged to give when it’s safe to travel to care for patients in the storm’s path and across the country. People can also help by making a financial donation to support relief efforts.

Hurricane’s impact on blood and platelet donations

Hurricane Florence’s wrath left catastrophic damage behind and also took a toll on blood and platelet donations. Nearly 200 Red Cross blood drives in the Southeast were forced to cancel, resulting in more than 5,200 uncollected blood and platelet donations. In North Carolina, 57 blood drives were called off due to the storm, causing nearly 2,100 blood and platelet donations to go uncollected.

“Natural disasters like hurricanes can disrupt blood drives and prevent donors from giving, but hospital patients still depend on lifesaving transfusions,” said Cliff Numark, senior vice president, Red Cross Blood Services. “There is an especially critical need for platelets to help cancer patients and type O blood donations for ongoing patient care and emergencies. Every donation can be a lifeline for patients.”

How to help

As conditions improve, donors of all blood types are urged to make an appointment to give blood or platelets and replenish the blood supply. Appointments can be made by using the Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS  (1-800-733-2767).

Financial donations are also needed and allow the Red Cross to provide disaster relief immediately. Help people affected by Hurricane Florence by visiting RedCross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word FLORENCE to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Up-to-date information about how the Red Cross is responding to Hurricane Florence is available at RedCross.org.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities in your area:

Franklin County

Louisburg

9/22/2018: 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Rock Spring Baptist Church, 34 Rock Springs Church Rd.

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Granville County

Creedmoor

9/28/2018: 2  – 6:30 p.m., Creedmoor United Methodist Church, 214 Park Avenue

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Warren County

Norlina

10/13/2018: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Zion United Methodist Church, 141 Zion Church Rd.

How to donate blood

A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass® to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit RedCross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

‘Laugh It Up!’ Comedy Show to Entertain at McGregor Hall

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-Information and flyer courtesy the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center

The Laugh It Up! Comedy Show featuring headlining acts Alonzo “Hamburger” Jones and  Shucky Ducky will be performing at the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center on Saturday, September 22, 2018, at 8 p.m.

HHHAAAMM – BBBUURRRGGGEEERR!!!!!

Alonzo “Hamburger” Jones has become a people’s favorite all over the world. Comedian Hamburger is on a mission to let people know they are not living right. In doing so, Hamburger tries not to use profanity, like gentlemen of the old west who did not swear in front of the ladies. Instead, comedian Alonzo Jones has substituted profanity with one word…..HAMBURGER.

QUACK – QUACK!!!!!

Cecil “Shucky Ducky” Armstrong has appeared on “Def Comedy Jam.” He has also been the ringmaster of the UniverSoul Circus. He is known for the catchphrase “Shucky Ducky Quack Quack.” He describes his catchphrase as meaning disappointment or excitement.

The night’s emcee is Les Long. Tara “Sister Bigbone” Sharp and Darren Fleet join in on the fun.

The Comedy Show is part of the Heritage! Performance Series. Doors open one hour before the show.

Tickets on sale for $32.03 and may be purchased by:

DROP IN: 201 Breckenridge Street, Henderson, N.C. Monday – Friday 1:30 – 5:30 p.m
CALL: (252) 598-0662 (M-F 1:30 – 5:30 p.m.)
CLICK HERE: www.McGregorHall.org  (Use the eTix official site, online fees apply)

(This is not a paid advertisement)

‘A Dash of Hope’ 5K Run/Walk to Raise Funds for Community Partners of Hope

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-Information courtesy Rev. Dr. Carolyn Roy, Community Partners of Hope and the Dash of Hope website

Come join us for a 5K Run/Walk at beautiful Kerr Lake/Satterwhite Point to raise funds and awareness for Community Partners of Hope  They are working to transform the lives of homeless men by uniting community partners to offer these men hope, help, and resources that enable growth into physically, emotionally, financially, and spiritually healthy contributors to their families and the community.

Community Partners of Hope operates an emergency temporary shelter for men only from November 1 through March 31 every year. The shelter has been in operation since 2009.

Community Partners of Hope operates Hope House which is a transitional housing unit which offers the next level of assistance to a select group of men who show promise of once again becoming self-sufficient contributors to our community. Once admitted to Hope House, these men will be assigned trained mentors, and will receive the resources, encouragement, and guidance needed for them to one day live in homes of their own.

The 5K run/walk is held at Satterwhite Point in Henderson (6254 Satterwhite Point Road for your GPS) beginning at 9 am.  Plank Chapel United Methodist Church in Kittrell organizes the event.

​Click here to download a course map.

In its inaugural race last year, seventy-six runners and walkers signed up to participate in the event. Dave Arner led all finishers in 22:27. Jolie Stevenson was the top woman finisher in 28:52.

Entrants can sign up as a timed or not timed participant. Timed entrants will receive an official finishing time for their effort, will be listed in the official results, and will be eligible for awards. The non-timed entrants will not receive an official time but will be able to see their finishing times on a digital clock at the finish line.

The entry fees are $25 (if entered NLT May 31), $30 (June 1 – August 31) and $35 thereafter up to and including race day. The entry fee includes a t-shirt guaranteed to all those entered by September 29.

The top male finisher and the top female finisher will each receive a comforter from Hollander, while the second place male and the second place female will each receive a set of memory foam pillows. Awards will also be given to the youngest male finisher, to the youngest female finisher and to the oldest finisher, regardless of gender.

​Click here to download a mail-in entry form. Visit the A Dash of Hope website by clicking here.

City of Oxford Cancels Fall Litter Sweep

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-Information courtesy the City of Oxford website

The City of Oxford has canceled its annual Fall Litter Sweep and lunch at the Public Works Building originally scheduled for Friday, September 21, 2018.  It will be rescheduled for Spring 2019. More details will be released at a later date.

Franklin County Logo

Tar River Below Flood Levels; No Road Closures in Franklin Co.

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-Information and chart courtesy Kristen G. King, Clerk to the Board, County of Franklin

According to Franklin County Emergency Services Director Jeff Lewis, there are no reports of road closures in Franklin County due to flooding at this time.

As of 9 a.m. Thursday morning, the Tar River in Louisburg was below minor flood levels.

Town Talk 09/20/18

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News 09/20/18

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VGCC Trustees Approve Firm For Presidential Search, Adopt 2018-19 Budget

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 -Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

The Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees approved a firm to assist in the search for a new president, adopted a budget for the current fiscal year, and welcomed a trustee who is returning to the board after being away for two years. The actions came at the bi-monthly meeting on Monday, Sept. 17, on the college’s Main Campus.

The Trustees selected the firm of Executive Leadership Associates (ELA) LLC of Emerald Isle to assist in the search for a replacement for Dr. Stelfanie Williams who left the college in August to take a job with Duke University.

ELA describes itself as “a consortium of former North Carolina community college presidents who are committed to ensuring that our internationally recognized community college system continues its proud tradition of excellence — one community college at a time.”

VGCC’s newest Trustee, Dr. Doris Terry Williams, was sworn in for a four-year appointment on the college board by retired District Court Judge J. Henry Banks. From left are Judge Banks, Dr. Williams and Jerry Stainback, the attorney for the Board of Trustees, who assisted with the swearing in. (Photo Credit: VGCC)

The firm will help the VGCC Board of Trustees by guiding the search process, creating a presidential profile of the ideal candidate needed, and recruiting and screening applicants as needed. The search will begin in October with plans to have the new president in place in March 2019. The trustees are expected to present finalists to the State Board of Community Colleges for evaluation early in 2019, according to Dr. Gordon Burns who is serving as interim president for the college. Dr. Burns served as president of Wilkes Community College in North Wilkesboro for 18 years before retiring in 2014.

Six firms responded to the requests for proposals, according to Trustee Deborah Brown, chair of the Trustees’ presidential search committee. Serving with Brown are Trustees Herb Gregory, vice chair; N. Annette P. Myers, Abdul Sm Rasheed, Donald C. Seifert, Sr., and Sara C. Wester.

Budget Adopted

The Trustees adopted a budget of $33,166,414 for the new fiscal year, approving VGCC’s budget resolution for Fiscal Year 2018-2019 on a recommendation from the Budget Committee of the board, chaired by Trustee Abdul Sm Rasheed.

On the Current Expense side of the budget, $19,438,484 comes from the State of North Carolina, $2,587,868 from the four counties served by the college, and $9,273,716 from institutional funds. In the Capital Outlay budget, $1,726,846 comes from the State and $139,500 from the counties.

At the county level, Vance County is contributing $1,151,597 to the current operating funds; Granville, $752,184; Franklin, $369,168; and Warren, $225,625, with an additional $89,294 coming from institutional funds. Among capital improvement funds from the counties, Vance is contributing $73,874; Granville, $39,626; Franklin, $20,000; and Warren, $6,000.

The 2018-2019 budget is allocated as follows: institutional support: $5,433,372; curriculum instruction: $10,362,152; continuing education: $2,705,504; academic support: $1,368,526; student support: $2,075,516; plant operations and maintenance: $2,018,035; proprietary/other: $2,272,851; student aid: $5,064,112; capital outlay, excluding capital improvements: $786,141; and capital improvement projects: $1,080,205.

Dr. Doris Terry Williams Appointed To Board

Dr. Doris Terry Williams was sworn in to a four-year term on the VGCC Board of Trustees after being selected by the Vance County Board of Education to fill the vacancy created when long-time Trustee L. Opie Frazier, Jr., retired.

Dr. Williams, a retired educator and administrator, returns to the Board of Trustees after being off the board for two years. She was previously appointed to the board by the Governor’s Office in 2010 to fill an unexpired term and was reappointed in 2012 for a full four-year term.

As the owner and chief executive officer of EdComm, LLC, her own consulting group, Dr. Williams provides consultation regionally and nationally on education and community development issues.

A Vance County resident, she lived in Warren County and served on the Warren County Board of Education for 12 years, including five as the board chair. She has served as executive director of the Rural School and Community Trust and director of the Trust’s Capacity Building Program. She is now a senior fellow with the Rural Trust, which is a national non-profit dedicated to addressing the crucial relationship between good rural schools and thriving rural communities. She also has served as assistant dean and associate professor in the School of Education and director of University-School Partnerships at North Carolina Central University.

In other action:

  • The Trustees voted to close the Child Care Center on the Franklin Campus no later than June 1, 2019. The decision comes after an extended evaluation leading to the conclusion that the center is not financially sustainable, Dr. Burns told the board. Information packets that list other options for child care in the Franklin County area have been prepared for parents who currently have children at the center. The center, which currently has nine children, was originally created to provide Vance-Granville’s curriculum students with an environment to advance their Early Childhood experiences and to provide child care services for our students and staff. The center has been used mostly by the public in the past several years, Dr. Burns said.
  • In an update on capital projects, Trustee Donald C. Seifert, Sr., said a design contract was executed in August for $320,400 for fire alarm replacements and renovations to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems on the Main Campus. Fire alarm replacement work will be bid out in February 2019 with work expected to begin the following May. The HVAC renovations will begin in the summer of 2020. Meanwhile, renovation work is scheduled to start this month on the second phase of renovations to Building 10. Space is being renovated to add a Practical Simulation Lab for Law Enforcement, Fire/Rescue and Emergency Medical Services programs.
  • Steve Graham, VGCC’s vice president of finance and operations, reported for the Investment Committee, citing a 12 percent growth in the college’s investments since the beginning of 2017.
  • Trustee Sara Wester, chair of the board’s Personnel Committee, provided an informational report on new employees, retirements, resignations and changes in positions.
  • The Curriculum Committee, chaired by Trustee Barbara Cates Harris, presented new appointments to the Advisory Committees for college programs for the 2018-2019 academic year. The appointments were approved by the Trustees.

Presiding over the meeting was Board of Trustees Chair Danny Wright.

The Board of Trustees will hold its next regular meeting on Monday, November 19 at the Main Campus.

Last ‘Meet Me in the Street’ for Season Set for Thurs., Sept. 27

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-Information courtesy the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce’s July/August 2018 Newsletter

The Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce, along with Presenting Sponsor NC Towing & Recovery, will host the last of this year’s “Meet Me in the Street” free community concerts on Thursday, September 27.

The third and final concert of the season will feature “Liquid Pleasure.” After more than two decades of bringing audiences to their feet, this band has become a multi-cultural icon. Veteran member Melvin Farrington says “We love being in touch with people like us, who love a variety of good music, and appreciate hearing it performed live.” Liquid Pleasure presents a mix of oldies, beach music and disco.

In addition to the live music and dancing, the kids can enjoy a section all their own sponsored by Maria Parham Health.

Sponsors for this year’s concert series are: NC Towing & Recovery – Presenting Sponsor; Duke Energy and Maria Parham Health – Gold Sponsors; BB&T, Mars Petcare, Wake Electric Membership Corporation and Walmart DC #6091 – Silver Sponsors; and 3hc, Benchmark Community Bank, Carolina Sunrock, Express Employment Professionals, Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission and Waste Industries – Bronze Sponsors.

Contributing Sponsors are CenturyLink, Coastal Federal Credit Union, Franklin Brothers Nursery, Henderson-Vance Economic Development Commission, Hoyle’s Tire & Axle, NC Motorsports Park and Woodforest Bank.

Promotional Sponsors are Brewer Cycles, Fidelity Bank, Satterwhite Point Marina, Servpro and Union Bank.

All concerts are free to the public and are held at the corner of North Garnett and Breckenridge Streets in downtown Henderson from 5:30 until 8:30 p.m.